Archive for the ‘ U.S. Senate ’ Category

Now that I finally have some time to do some writing on politics, let’s get to it!

I prefer to render political observations after taking in data from a broad spectrum of sources and feedback. Two years ago it had become pretty clear to me in the final four weeks leading up to the presidential Election that Donald Trump would prevail.

Armed, plain-clothes LAPD officers were dispatched to California cities outside of Los Angeles at least a dozen times to provide security for U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris at public events, media appearances, and a party.

Jim Erwin smiling during a September court hearing he will not be re-tried on any charges regarding the Colonies corruption case, Friday, at San Bernardino Justice Center in San Bernardino, Ca., September 22, 2017. Judge Michael A. Smith dismissed all of the remaining counts against the former assistant county assessor and sheriff’s labor union president. (John Valenzuela/The Sun/SCNG)

A former county official who escaped conviction in the Colonies corruption case has filed a $25 million federal lawsuit accusing San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and other prosecutors of malicious prosecution, fabricated evidence and retaliation.

Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum has sued San Bernardino County and the state in federal court alleging malicious prosecution in connection with the ill-fated Colonies bribery case. Burum, who along with two co-defendants were acquitted last August on all charges, is seeking no less than $50 million in damages.

Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum has filed a $50 million malicious prosecution lawsuit in federal court against San Bernardino County, District Attorney Mike Ramos and former state Attorneys General Kamala Harris and Jerry Brown.

Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum.

Rancho Cucamonga investor group Colonies Partners LP on Thursday, March 1, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos and former state Attorneys General Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris, seeking $80 million in damages following a bungled bribery case the developer claims sullied its reputation.

Former San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane, acquitted last August in an epic public corruption case that spanned nearly eight years, filed claims against the county and state on Friday alleging malicious prosecution. He is seeking more than $10 million in damages.

Former San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane filed malicious prosecution claims against the county and state on Friday, Feb. 23, seeking more than $10 million in damages, making him the last of the former Colonies corruption case defendants to do so.

Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum, answers questions regarding the Colonies corruption case during an interview at his office in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Thursday, September 28, 2017. Burum is one of the three defendants in the San Bernardino County-Colonies corruption case that were recently found not guilty of all charges, after a prolonged trial that lasted nearly eight months. (Photo by John Valenzuela/The Sun/SCNG)

Developer Jeffrey Burum, who was acquitted of all charges in the Colonies corruption case last year, filed on Tuesday a malicious prosecution and civil rights violation claim against San Bernardino County and the State of California, with his attorney saying the failed prosecution turned his client’s life “into a living hell.”

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., rallies in support of the “Dreamers” during a protest on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press)

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s newly released plan to resolve the fate of young immigrants who arrived in the country illegally as children would constitute the biggest change to immigration policy in decades, putting Democrats and their allies in a painful vise.

The three-day standoff offered more proof that government closures never end well for those making the demands.

Senate Democrats shut down the government in hopes of striking a deal to shield 700,000 young immigrants from deportation. In the end, they got a promise of a vote — one that Republicans argue was going to happen anyway.

Gov. Jerry Brown, plunging into position as a Democratic bulwark against Donald Trump’s presidency, warned Tuesday of looming battles with Republican-controlled Washington, using his State of the State address to assuage fears that California would turn its back on progressive policies.

So far, none of California’s 55 senators and representatives have announced plans to retire ahead of the 2018 election. But after weeks at home with family during the holidays to talk about the future, such declarations could come soon.

Over Sen. Barbara Boxer’s objections, the Senate voted 78 to 21 Friday evening to pass sweeping water infrastructure legislation that changes how much water is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California.

Senator-elect Kamala Harris, center, speaks with Long Beack Mayor Robert Garcia, left, and Angelica Salas of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles during a meeting with immigrant families and activists on Nov. 10. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Phil Willon November 15, 2016

Newly elected U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris said she’s already been in contact with her West Coast colleagues about banding together to implement Democratic priorities in the political era of President-elect Donald Trump.

Aggressive sales tactics by Wells Fargo & Co. employees led to a $185-million settlement package with federal and state regulators last week. Above, a branch in Miami. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

Jim Puzzanghera September 12, 2016

The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing next week on the aggressive sales tactics by Wells Fargo & Co. employees that led to a $185-million settlement package with federal and state regulators.

Half of California’s likely Republican voters and a third of independents said they wouldn’t vote for either candidate in the state’s U.S. Senate race this November, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Orange). (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)

Phil Willon, Jazmine Ulloa July 22, 2016

Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez said in an interview with a Spanish-language television station that she believes President Obama may have endorsed rival Kamala Harris in California’s U.S. Senate race because they are both black, injecting a dose of racial politics into a historic contest that in November will elect the state’s first African American or Latino senator.

Democrat Loretta Sanchez’s gambit to attract dissident Republicans to her U.S. Senate campaign received a shot of encouragement Wednesday with the endorsement of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

State Attorney General Kamala Harris carried at least 50 of 58 California counties in the U.S. Senate primary Tuesday, collecting twice the percentage of votes that went to fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez.

The top two Democrats in California’s U.S. Senate race have raised more than a combined $12 million for their campaigns, but many of the state’s most generous and loyal campaign donors have yet to crack open their wallets.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is talking a lot these days in her bid to become a U.S. senator, but one subject she’s not mentioning is her complex role in Orange County’s highest-profile criminal case – the penalty phase in the trial of confessed mass murderer Scott Dekraai. (Cindy Yamanaka – File)

By Tony Saavedra / Staff Writer June 1, 2016 – Updated 10:10 p.m.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is talking a lot these days in her bid to become a U.S. senator, but one subject she’s not mentioning is her complex role in Orange County’s highest-profile criminal case – the penalty phase in the trial of confessed mass murderer Scott Dekraai.

California’s U.S. Senate race has been overshadowed by the high-profile presidential campaign but that might change a bit Friday when Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez launched TV commercials.

U.S. Senate hopeful Kamala Harris found herself under attack Tuesday night during a fiery debate where she was accused of putting her political ambitions ahead of serving Californians as state Attorney General and pressed about why she hasn’t investigated police shootings.

California in November will elect a new U.S. senator for the first time in 24 years. To replace four-term Sen. Barbara Boxer, who decided not to seek re-election, we endorse Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Orange, because she has demonstrated incredible judgment on the most crucial issues of our generation, taking tough stands in the face of tremendous opposition.

Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez offered contrasting styles Monday in the first televised debate of the U.S. Senate contest, while a trio of Republicans leapt at the chance to participate in a bipartisan skirmish.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, from left, talks with Democratic U.S. Reps. Janice Hahn of San Pedro, Lucille Roybal-Allard of Downey and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio on the steps of the Capitol. (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call)

Phil Willon April 13, 2016

The calls to Encino attorney Janice Kamenir-Reznik came every few weeks, pleading for her to run for the California state Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Fran Pavley.

California’s U.S. Senate campaign appears stuck in a political stasis, with nearly a third of voters still undecided about who to support in a race lost in the shadow of the nation’s presidential contest, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

Kamala Harris (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Phil Willon March 23, 2016 – 09:00 p.m.

With just over three months to go before the state’s June primary election, Democrats Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Santa Ana have more voter support than their Republican rivals in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

I’m the most qualified for the U.S. Senate, says Rep. Loretta Sanchez. The 20-year veteran of Congress is running against California Attorney General Kamala Harris in the June 7 primary.

Sanchez is running in the June primary to replace Barbara Boxer, who’s retiring

A rare elected Democrat from Orange County, she’s served in Congress for two decades

Statements have stirred controversy, but she’s gained respect on military issues

WASHINGTON —

Whether she’s sending out cat Christmas cards, mimicking a Native American war whoop, or suggesting that up to 20 percent of Muslims might resort to violence to overthrow the Western way of life, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of California is known as much for her personality as her policy.

Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is running for the U.S. Senate, hosts a forum at Service Employees International Union Local 721 in Riverside on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. (Milka Soko)

Published: Feb. 21, 2016 – Updated: 5:38 p.m.

California’s attorney general is running as a Democrat for U.S. Senate.

It makes sense, financially and otherwise, to spend on measures to prevent children from becoming criminals as adults, California Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris said during a campaign stop in Riverside on Sunday, Feb. 21.

California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris campaigns Sunday at the L.A. headquarters of the Building and Construction Trades Council, an organized labor group that has endorsed her U.S. Senate bid to replace the retiring Barbara Boxer. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

Kathleen Decker January 11, 2016

The upsides of California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris’ political ambitions have been apparent as she’s climbed in politics: She charms an audience like few candidates do, speaks knowledgeably about criminal justice-related issues and stays relentlessly on message.

Attorney General Kamala Harris and Rep. Loretta Sanchez continue to lead the contest to succeed U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, but the all-Democratic dynamic could change once more Republican voters begin engaging in the race, according to the new Field Poll.

As 2016 dawns in California, politics looms large. Dozens of initiatives have been filed for what could become a November ballot of record size. State political parties are calculating their odds in nearly 175 legislative and congressional races. Some candidates for statewide office in 2018 are already campaigning.

The sweeping budget deal — a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill — tackles a number of policy areas, including making some $650 billion in tax breaks permanent, adopting new cybersecurity rules and repealing a decades-old ban on crude oil exports.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), shown in November, is facing criticism over a comment she made about the percentage of Muslims who support a caliphate. (Tomas Ovalle)

Phil Willon December 11, 2015

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is trying to beat back criticism over a comment she made about the percentage of Muslims who support a caliphate — the establishment of a strict Islamic state — to defend and advance their religious ideology.

Attorney General Kamala Harris speaks to California Democrats at the state party’s convention in May. Although the favorite to win a U.S. Senate race next year, she faces opposition from Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who could benefit from independent and Republican voters. (Damian Dovarganes/AP File)

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By Dan Walters dwalters@sacbee.com November 30, 2015

California’s system has changed legislative dynamics

Could it also affect statewide races?

U.S. Senate contest will be a test

Six years ago, to pass a state budget, the Legislature’s Democratic leaders agreed to place a major change in primary election voting before voters.

Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is pictured at an event in Los Angeles in September, has been cleared by the FPPC. Harris was cleared after cutting a $10,245 check back to the gift-or, after an inquiry was opened. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Phil Willon November 20, 2015

A state ethics agency has determined that California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris did not violate state laws when she received gifts from a company owned by San Francisco interior designer Ken Fulk.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid pictured here. | AP Photo

By Burgess Everett and Kevin Robillard 11/08/15 – 01:36 PM EST

The party is angling to expand the electoral map by fielding strong recruits in red states like Missouri and Arkansas.

For months, Missouri barely registered in the 2016 battle for Senate control: It’s a conservative state with a solid Republican incumbent in Sen. Roy Blunt. But an unexpectedly strong Democratic recruit, Jason Kander, has put the state in play — prompting a Karl Rove-backed group to spend $800,000 to keep the seat in GOP hands.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez is trailing Democratic rival Kamala Harris in her bid for the U.S. Senate, polls show. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Phil Willon October 29, 2015

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, the Democrat famous for bumping ultra-conservative GOP Rep. Robert “B-1 Bob” Dornan from office in Orange County two decades ago, may need a little Republican love next year.

Mitch McConnell can’t afford to lose any more votes. | Getty

By Seung Min Kim 10/25/15 – 05:29 PM EDT

McConnell is having a hard time getting a simple-majority bill through the Senate.

Senate Republicans’ carefully-laid plans to use a powerful fast-track tool to send an Obamacare repeal to President Barack Obama is running into fresh resistance, with new opposition from high-profile conservatives and bubbling concerns from moderates.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) speaks during a news conference at the California Democratic Party’s 2015 convention in Anaheim in May. She reported raising almost $1 million for her 2016 Senate bid. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

Phil Willon October 15, 2015

Rep. Loretta Sanchez reported raising almost $1 million in contributions this year for her U.S. Senate campaign, well behind the $6 million that her chief Democratic rival, California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, has collected for the race, according to financial filings released Thursday.

President Barack Obama gestures as he answers question during a news conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Oct. 2, 2015 | 6:11 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Friday he won’t sign another temporary government funding bill after the current one expires Dec. 11, insisting that congressional Republicans and Democrats work out a long-term budget deal with the White House.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will be the next target of conservatives frustrated with party leadership, according to one of the conservative representatives who pressured House speaker John Boehner in the weeks leading up to his resignation.

As of Friday, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino, center, has sponsored two bills in the House of Representatives during the 114th Congress. Staff File Photo

By Beau Yarbrough, The Sun Posted: 09/06/15 – 8:30 PM PDT |

When the House of Representatives and the Senate return to work in Washington on Tuesday, all of the legislators representing the Inland Empire have something in common: None of them have had any bills signed into law this year.

Democrats now will say anything to distance themselves from sanctuary city policies, even though they have supported these policies for years. In an exclusive CNN interview Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton was asked about San Francisco’s refusal to hand over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement seven-time convicted felon and five-time deportee Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez. He stands accused in the fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle as she took an evening stroll on Pier 14 last week. (After telling a local TV station he shot Steinle by accident, Lopez-Sanchez has pleaded not guilty to murder.) Clinton answered, “The city made a mistake not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported. So I have absolutely no support for a city that ignores the strong evidence that should be acted on.”

The dispute over defense vs. domestic funds means spending bills will pile up until September. What happens then?

By Fawn Johnson June 7, 2015

The message from Senate Democrats this week will go like this: Serious talks should begin now on avoiding a government shutdown. Why force us to carry out our threat of blocking all spending bills until we hit September, the last few days of the fiscal year, to come up with a panicked back-against-the-wall solution? We all know that’s where we’re heading.

U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez greets paradegoers during a Veterans Day celebration in Fullerton in 2008. Some say Sanchez’s lack of restraint could work to her advantage. (File: Michael Goulding / Staff Photographer)

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, hugs her half-brother, Stephen Sanchez, after announcing she will run for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat. She was surrounded by family and supporters at the Santa Ana train station on Thursday. | Christopher Cadelago The Sacramento Bee

By Christopher Cadelago ccadelago@sacbee.com May 14, 2015

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat from Orange County, rocked the political world nearly two decades ago when she narrowly ousted a sharp-tongued Republican congressman and then defended the seat in a rematch.

U.S. Senate candidate and state Attorney General Kamala Harris (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

News May 13, 2015 Updated 7:30 p.m. By Martin Wisckol, Staff Writer

On the eve of Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s expected announcement that she’ll run for U.S. Senate, current frontrunner Kamala Harris on Wednesday rolled out a list of eight Orange County elected officials who’ve endorsed her bid.

Sounding like she’s on the verge of declaring her candidacy for U.S. Senate, Rep. Loretta Sanchez encouraged donors in Orange County to pony up Monday and explained why she would be a better choice than Attorney General Kamala Harris.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana

Before heading back to Congress after a two-week Easter recess, Rep. Loretta Sanchez stoked the buzz that she’ll be challenging Attorney General Kamala Harris next year in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Despite optimistic talk from Democrats and Republicans about overhauling the tax code, General Electric Co. recently showed that corporate executives aren’t holding their breath for a bipartisan deal any time soon.